


Reflections

by Tarlan



Category: Eureka
Genre: Bodyswap, Community: smallfandomfest, M/M, Trope Bingo Round 3
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-01
Updated: 2014-02-01
Packaged: 2018-01-10 18:22:16
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,765
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1162995
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tarlan/pseuds/Tarlan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Fargo's latest disastrous experiment has Nathan and Jack swapping bodies, Nathan overhears some intriguing information about Jack, and has a hard time reining in his scientific curiosity.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Reflections

**Author's Note:**

  * For [megan_moonlight](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=megan_moonlight).



> Written for **Smallfandomfest** FEST14 and for **Trope_Bingo** Round 3: Bodyswap

There were some things a person really wasn't meant to hear but Nathan noticed that a lot of the scientists in this town didn't exactly hold back on the derogatory comments concerning their not-so-bright sheriff, even when he was within earshot. Unfortunately, most of them were unaware that Fargo's latest disastrous experiment had ended up with yet another body swap incident, so the mind inhabiting the Sheriff's body was Nathan's.

At least this time it was only him and Carter, and he shuddered when he recalled Taggart body swapping with Lojack the dog. To coin one of Carter's phrases, that had been ' _so wrong_ '.

Silently he fumed as someone coughed ' _111_ ' into his hand as Nathan passed by on his way to Cafe Diem, hearing the others sniggering. He recognized them as Section 4 scientists working on an off-site project that Carter had called a disaster in the making, citing them for safety violations even though he didn't understand a single word of what they were doing. The problem was that even Nathan had come to trust in Carter's gut instincts, having seen him accurately predict a number of potentially lethal situations. Not that anyone paid any attention to him most of the time because they were too busy thinking themselves superior to him - until the crap hit the fan.

Nathan was just as guilty of this.

He had noticed that, invariably, Carter ended up being the one to pull their collective asses out of the fire, putting his life at risk in the process. That wasn't going to happen while Nathan inhabited his body because Nathan had no intention of dying in this body, and he hoped Carter was being equally considerate of Nathan's body. He hoped Allison was guarding his body as promised, aware that they couldn't afford to have the D.O.D. made aware of the dubious success of the body swapping fiasco until they had figured out a way to reverse it. He trusted her even though she had every reason to want to see him fail after he left her at the altar on their second wedding day. However, that was personal and this was professional courtesy.

He recalled the speed-drug incident a year back, standing outside the interrogation room where Carter had said, "Do I tell you how to do your job?"

It had been an amusing thought at the time but now he was worried in case Carter was making rash decisions before Allison could counsel him otherwise. Strangely, Carter hadn't made a move on Allison after the abandoned wedding, remaining just friends with her much to Nathan's confusion. He thought Carter would jump at the chance now that he was out of the picture.

Of course, Nathan had his own problems in trying to pretend to be Carter. He had wondered how Carter kept in shape when he was rarely seen at the gym, but Carter's body was surprisingly limber and agile. For all of Nathan's regular gym hours and longer legs, he didn't have Carter's speed or fast reactions, almost giving himself away to Deputy Lupo when she threw a bag at him - and he'd missed the catch. Her eyes had narrowed and Nathan had made up some pathetic excuse for his butterfingers.

"Hey Sheriff, your epidermis is showing," another of the scientists remarked, trying to act all concerned.

The silence stretched, and Doctor Necto started to laugh nervously, obviously having expected some reaction other than Nathan's equivalent of a Carter glare. Necto probably thought Carter would go into his usual panic of twisting to try and see what Necto was talking about, or clamping his hands over his groin while thinking his zipper was undone. It was a juvenile prank but Nathan had seen Carter fall for something similar on a number of occasions before Henry or Allison, Jo or even he put Carter straight.

It had all seemed like harmless fun before but it wasn't so laughable to Nathan now he was on the receiving end of the jibes and insults, even if those insults weren't really for him.

For all his lack of intelligence, Carter wasn't stupid, and he deserved some respect for the things he had done for the town. In fact he deserved a whole lot more respect simply for being the Sheriff of this nuthouse, as Carter had called it one time. But where Nathan had demanded respect by cowering everyone else around him with his sharp intellect and sharper tongue, Carter let the insults slide off him.

Or at least, that's the way it appeared to most people. The heated exchanges between him and Carter proved that it wasn't always the case and that his insults sometimes hurt the other man. They had got off on the wrong footing from the get-go, mostly because Nathan was a selfish and controlling bastard - Carter's words, not his - and hadn't wanted to admit failure by giving up on his marriage. He'd seen Carter as a threat and had acted accordingly, and all for nothing.

Vincent smiled at him. "So Sheriff, what can I get you today? We have baked red onions stuffed with toasted spiced couscous, or a fig tarte tatin with shaved manchego and rocket that will have your taste buds dancing with pure unadulterated joy."

Nathan's mouth watered at just the thought and it almost killed him to answer, "Or I could just have the usual."

Vincent seemed more resigned than disappointed, sighing heavily, "One cheeseburger and fries coming up."

Taking a seat at the counter, Nathan leaned forward and found himself studying Carter's hands. He had always expected Carter to be as clumsy as his mind but his fingers were agile, and Nathan had a feeling that if he'd ever bothered to learn to play the piano then he would have been exceptionally good at it. He had fine motor control.

"Problem, Sheriff?" Vincent asked.

"No. My fingers feel a little stiff after doing... something... this morning."

Vincent raised first one and then both eyebrows.

"My mother said that would make me go blind," Zane stated as he took the seat just along the counter from Nathan.

It took Nathan a moment to parse both his and Zane's words and realize what his own had implied. "What! No! I didn't mean..." He sighed as Vincent placed his meal in front of him. "Forget it."

Zane had pre-ordered the fig tarte, and it was delivered at the same time as Nathan's Carter meal. It smelled delicious, making Nathan feel almost resentful, so he was totally unprepared when he bit into the cheeseburger.

"This is... really good," he muttered around a mouthful, looking up at Vincent in surprise as the combination of cheese and beef cooked with just the right amount of grease ignited his taste buds. No wonder Carter liked this.

Vincent preened. "You're still a culinary Neanderthal... but you are most welcome, Sheriff."

Zane insulted him - or rather Carter - twice while they ate and seemed a little confused when Nathan didn't rise to the bait. He reached out a hand and rested it on Nathan's shoulder.

"You feeling okay?" Zane actually looked concerned for a moment before he ruined it, "Because I'd be happy to finish off those fries rather than see them go to waste."

"Keep your hands off my fries, Donovan."

Zane held both hands up, stood up and backed away, grinning. Left on his own at the counter, Nathan was about to head off to do some ' _sheriffing_ ', when Doctor Necto and Doctor Mander entered the cafe. Once more Doctor Mander coughed into his hand what sounded like ' _111_ ' as he walked directly behind Nathan. They took the table behind him and started talking just loud enough for their voices to carry to the counter but no further. They used words like vacuous and doltish in referring to the _local gendarmerie_. In other words, calling the local Sheriff stupid.

Nathan bit down on Carter's tongue, trying not to react even though Vincent was starting to look a little upset. It was the end of a long day and Nathan decided to ignore it for now, and take his revenge on the two hapless scientists once he was back in his own body.

"Vincent? I'll take a Vinspresso to go."

While he waited, the two scientists continued with their description of Carter's clueless behavior and he had almost tuned them out when he heard his own name mentioned.

"Of course the local gendarmerie's blatant attempts to gain approbation from Doctor Stark is as risible as it is fatuous. As if such an eminent intellect would approve of such a dullard."

Vincent handed over an extra large Vinspresso.

"Dinner was on the house, Sheriff," he stated loudly, eyes flicking over towards the two scientists who'd been insulting Carter and glaring. 

He looked surprised and uncomfortable when he noticed Nathan - Carter - glaring at them too. Nathan nodded in thanks, belatedly realizing that Carter would not have understood half of the words used in that conversation, or derived its full meaning, accepting the gesture of a free meal and coffee from Vincent with pleased surprise. He tried a smile but he had feeling it came out more like a grimace.

"Thanks, Vincent." Two steps outside of the cafe, he had a call. "Fargo, you better have a reversal for this."

"Um. There was a slight....accident?... with the main converter."

Nathan sighed. "How long?"

"Tomorrow?"

"Is Carter there?"

"Yeah... I'm here."

It seemed strange hearing his own voice but with Carter's intonation. By now he had reached the Sheriff's car and quickly took the driver's seat, not wanting anyone to overhear his conversation.

"Carter, I want my body back where I can see it."

"Yeah, well I'm not too happy having my body out of my sight either. For all I know you've been feeding me the lawn."

Nathan mouthed the words, then rolled his eyes when he realized Carter was talking about the Wheat Grass shake Nathan drank after a good work-out. "Meet me at my house. No. On second thoughts, meet me at the bunker."

"Worried I might scandalize the neighbors?"

"No, but having the Sheriff's utility vehicle parked in my drive all night would certainly set tongues wagging."

"Oh, but it's okay to have _your_ car on _my_ drive all night."

"Your drive is practically on the outskirts of the town, Carter. No one passes it."

"O...kay. Point taken. I can be there in an hour. Fargo wants me to glare at Doctor Keaman to make him work faster."

Nathan rolled his eyes again and cut the connection, but on the drive over to the bunker, his thoughts returned to that overheard conversation where Necto and Mander obviously believed the Sheriff was infatuated with him. Glancing up, he caught a reflection of Carter's blue eyes in the rear view mirror. It startled him for a moment because he'd never really allowed himself to take a good look at Carter, not wanting to be caught staring at the man in case Carter thought it was some overture of friendship - or something else. Yet he had caught Carter staring at him more than once, and quickly looking away with his cheeks slightly heated in embarrassment. The more he thought about their interactions on an almost daily basis, the more he realized how it could look to an outsider.

By the time he reached the bunker, his curiosity was fully aroused. After a perfunctory greeting to S.A.R.A.H., who knew all about the body swapping apparently, judging by her greeting him as Doctor Stark, he went into the one place where S.A.R.A.H. afforded the Carters some privacy - the bathroom. 

Nathan stopped in front of the full length mirror and stared into Carter's eyes, mapping all the variations of blue in his eyes. They really were quite stunning. He tried a smile and noticed the laughter lines immediately, realizing that Carter smiled often, and not just small wry twitches of his lips. No, these were big smiles that lit his whole face, taking an otherwise kicked-puppy expression and making him look... beatific. No. Seraphic. Like an Angel descended to Earth.

He frowned at the poetic notion. The scientist within him wanted to assuage the rest of his curiosity so he stripped off the dull beige uniform shirt and pants and brown t-shirt, cataloging the almost naked body standing in front of him. It felt strange, and when he reached up and touched Carter's chest, he felt a sensation tingle through him to his groin - to Carter's groin. Unable to resist, he pulled the boxers down and stepped out of them, kicking them aside. Carter really was beautiful all over, from his strong, clean limbs to his well proportioned chest with a fine dusting of pale hairs, and narrow waist and hips. His ass was a firm curve, and his cock was thick and nicely average in size and color. Nathan ran Carter's hands over his body, cupping the firm ass cheeks, one in each hand. He gently pulled them apart, letting his fingers dip into the shallow valley and trace across the puckered muscle and perineum. Carter's cock was almost fully erect now and he moved one hand up to play with a small, tight nipple, gasping softly as Carter's body responded beautifully to his own touch, wonderfully responsive.

He paused to coat his fingers with a suitable gel sitting on the bathroom shelf.

Another brush of his lubed fingers over Carter's hole while he tweaked a nipple had a pearl of precome beading at the tip of his cock. Nathan used his thumb to smear it over the head, shivering at the amazing sensation. He wrapped his hand around the hard shaft and began to thrust into it, letting Carter's hips snap forward into his closed palm. Nathan forced himself to keep looking at Carter's reflection in the mirror as he slowly took Carter's body apart, one finger sliding inside the lean body, pressing against Carter's prostate, and that spark of pleasure ignited the rest of Carter's body. He gasped through Carter's orgasm, mind riding on a wave of pure pleasure, eyes closing for just a second.

He snapped his eyes open as everything changed abruptly. The intense pleasure was gone leaving his mind feeling hollow and deprived, and he was clothed with the familiar weight of his own limbs dressed in the suit he had chosen to wear that morning.

It seemed that where Fargo's reversal attempts had failed, the shock of orgasm had succeeded, transferring him back into his own body. Which meant Carter was back in _his_ body, standing naked in his bathroom, with his hand striped with his own semen and his body pleasurably sated.

And with the knowledge that Nathan had been the one to bring him to that state.

His cell rang and Nathan grimaced when he saw the caller I.D., and though he was tempted to put off this call, he thumbed the answer button.

"Carter?"

"I have... no words for you right now."

"Carter? Jack. I'll be there in fifteen minutes."

When he reached the bunker the door swung open immediately and he found Jack waiting for him, dressed in loose pants and a slightly over-sized t-shirt. His expression was hard, and it took all of Nathan's courage to walk straight up to Jack, hoping that Necto and Mander were as observant as they claimed to be as he reached out and dragged Jack into a kiss.

For a moment Jack remained unresponsive and he felt something start to die inside him, feeling a growing loss hollow him out, and just as he was about to pull back and apologize, he felt the tension ease from Jack's body. The firm lips yielded beneath his and Jack eased into the kiss - their first kiss.

Eventually they both pulled back, and though the hard glint had gone from Jack's eyes, Nathan knew he was still angry, and deservedly so.

"What you did was-."

"I want you, Jack. I want you... and only you."

"That doesn't make it-."

"I know. Let me make it up to you."

He waited while Jack thought it through, watching the range of emotions crossing Jack's now so familiar face, and sighing when he saw the small curve of his lips lifting into a smile. 

"Okay." Jack held out a hand and despite feeling a little bewildered, Nathan took the offered hand. "You can start right now," Jack stated softly, and Nathan grinned, overjoyed when Jack led him upstairs.

END

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End file.
